Q:Round About formed in 2010. Can you tell us about the history as a band?

A: We got going when our bassist Dave Mehring and I (who had been in a band together in the early ‘00s) reconnected, and decided to hang out and jam. A lot of years and a lot of life had passed, and it was refreshing to not only to hear how we’d both grown as songwriters, but also slip back into a comfortable dynamic (Dave has played bass on every full band song I’ve ever recorded). While we don’t share much in common musically in terms of influences or writing style, it seems our songs have always fit together pretty well. We’re more similar in recognizing that our tunes are usually their best selves when we have more talented musicians besides us playing them. So I asked if he wanted to give it another go, and eight plus years later (actually, over a decade if you include our past project), he’s still putting up with me.

Once we started putting out feelers for other players, our drummer Paul Nicholas was one of the first to respond and was immediately impressive, because he had a great attitude and gave a lot of edge to all the material; he beefs up my singer/songwriter stuff, but can also give credibility to Dave’s funkier stuff or our more straight-ahead rock tunes as well. He can take any initial drum suggestions and make them his own in a way that always adds to the song. And he’s always smiling and having fun back on the kit; I love how much that permeates around the stage when we play live.

Aaron Lowenberger joined on lead guitar in 2013, and has from day one exceeded all my expectations, because he’s just about the perfect kind of player for this material. He always plays for the song first, and can adapt to and enhance whatever vibe Dave or I throw at him. He’s like a chameleon in that his chops, tones and style instantly become what works best for any song. He can play pretty much anything, cuts through clearly without ever being over-bearing, and honestly, he adds a level of musicianship I’m not sure this music has ever enjoyed. That he’s a down to earth, amicable and friendly guy to boot is just gravy.

We’ve always been a “sum greater than its parts” band, and that’s my favorite thing about it. The four of us come from really different musical places, and yet it works because everyone’s input is represented, in both direct and more subtle ways, regardless of who wrote it or who’s singing. The guys are great players and better humans, and I know I’m incredibly fortunate that they bring this music to life, and continue to do so three albums later.

Q: The band features multiple songwriters. What is your creative process like?

A: Oddly enough, almost entirely individual. By that I mean, our collaboration is 99% in the arranging, rather than the songwriting. So Dave, Aaron or I pretty much present fully fleshed out demos, describe the kind of feel we’re looking for, and it seems to become pretty clear after the band takes a pass or two what a song should sound like. Sometimes someone will suggest a slight change or tweak, but beyond that, it’s just trying to capture what the writer is aiming for.I don’t think it’s necessarily intentional that we only bring finished songs, it’s just been the way it’s always worked for us.

Q: What are some of the themes and concepts on your latest album Coming Into Focus?

A: To me, this album’s central theme is recognition; identifying where you’re at in your life and accepting it, good or bad. My history as a songwriter has usually been marked by melancholy lyrics disguised under mostly upbeat melodies, but for the first time, my tunes on this album were not entirely that. It was a strange realization at first, until I stepped back and thought about the great place my life has been in the last few years while most of these songs were being written, then it made a lot more sense. While there’s still plenty of elements of my usual fare, it was refreshing to realize I could write from a happier place too sometimes without it being too cheesy or sappy. So most of my lyrics this time out come from a place of acceptance instead of lament or regret.

As has almost always been the case, the other guys’ tunes fit the theme perfectly as well. To me, Dave’s “Little Things” is a cute, poppy tune about the small annoyances we all deal with in having too many choices in today’s world, while “Bad Man” is pretty much an acknowledgement of a life gone wrong, sold perfectly by the dirty, bluesy feel it has. And Aaron’s “Summer Dreaming” strikes me as a wistful but appreciative tune about someone getting pulled between the comforts of what’s safe at home and the need to explore the unknown.

So even though it was unintentional, just about all these tunes have a sense of “Here’s the truth to me,” regardless of topic, be it about a personal relationship or a broader situation, autobiographical or character-based.

Q: I thought Coming Into Focus flirted with a lot of different styles under the umbrella of rock. Was that a conscious decision talked about in pre-production or something that happened in a more organic type of way?

A: No, it wasn’t conscious i terms of actively discussing it, but as I read the question, I guess that is often what we aim for. To me the mantra of our band has always been the idea of multiple voices shaping what we are, in who’s singing, each of our playing styles, and in songwriting sensibility. That variety naturally lends itself to a wide palette of styles and sounds. And I’d like to think that’s true of all our records. In fact, if we next wrote a batch of songs that all sounded pretty similar, I doubt the band would even agree to record them.

I will say though that my bandmates’ talents certainly make that variety a lot more prominent. Paul’s explosiveness on “Chasing Sublime;” the riff Aaron gives to “You’re My Favorite” that makes it sound almost like a Cure thing to me; his slide work on “Timing” adds a layer I’d never have thought to give it; the ability of all the guys to give some twang to “I’m Smitten” even though I’m the furthest thing from a country-ish writer or singer; the way Dave’s bass playing kind of secretly carries tunes like “Perfect For the Part” or “It’s All Right There.” I get the greatest satisfaction out of putting a song that’s “mine” into the band machine, and hearing it come out the other side as something that’s “ours.”

Q: I thought the album sound very polished and professional. Can you talk a little bit about your experience in the studio with Marco Delmar?

A:​This was our first time working with a producer instead of an engineer, so that in and of itself made it quite a different experience for us. In fact, making this record really helped us to better understand our preferred recording process. Marco’s really talented at what he does and we’re happy with the end result.

Q: What else do we need to know about Round About?

A: With each year that’s gone by, I’m always amazed we’ve been playing together this long and have produced this much material. This band has always been a great outlet for writing and performing, and because we all have day jobs and some of us have kids, I think it’s even more enjoyable because it’s not responsible for our livings or our livelihoods. But in that same context, it’s something we take seriously and really enjoy, which I’d hope is obvious to anyone that comes to hear us play, or listens to any of our music, which you can easily do at our website www.roundaboutrocks.com.

Personally, my goal is to always try and write a better song, and most often that starts by simply aiming to impress my bandmates first. An audience responding is cool of course, but if I can get these guys to say “well done,” then I know I’m doing something right.